I’m only as good as my last race.  If my last race was great, I’m motivated to improve with a faster time.  If I had a horrible run, I’m twice as motivated to erase the bad one with a better finish.  My last half-marathon was my best all-around race.  I finished 8 out of 66 in men’s 40-44 and 57 out of a field of 1,235.  That’s great and all, but my true accomplishment was finishing it at a time of 1:38:25, shattering my previous best of 1:43:46.  Shortly after that race, the car accident happened and the running career was put on hold.

Since returning to training, I’ve competed in a one 10-miler, one 4-miler, two 10ks and seven 5ks.  I’m getting stronger so it is time to level up!

I plan to compete in 4 half marathons this year.  I know my first one won’t be 1:38:25, but it will be the best version of me, since the accident.  I’m building back up towards competing in marathons again while eventually qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  My next big step is on March 22 when I compete in a half-marathon.

I started training for this race in January by adding a longer distances 1-2 times per week.  I’ve hammered out several 10 mile runs with a pair of 14 mile runs.  I begin to notice soreness around mile 9.  Guess what?  I used to feel that at mile 6.  And before that, mile 4.  I’m taking extra care of my body by increasing the amount of minutes spent with DDP Yoga and various rehab exercises.  I also schedule 4 cryotherapy sessions and 1 compression therapy session each week.  My back and other injured spots are holding up.  The extra work is paying off.

Medals, trophies and division wins are cool for bragging rights, but pushing myself to my best is always priority #1.  I won a local 5k earlier this year, but it only felt like a half-victory as I was not happy with my time.

My goal is 1:52:00 and my finishing time will become the goal for my next half-marathon in May.  My ultimate goal is to get sub 1:43:00 by the fourth half-marathon and then continue building in 2021.

Go get it.